


The Book Club

by lotr58



Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek: Works
Genre: Clueless Spock, First Time--Kind Of, Humor, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-06
Updated: 2019-01-06
Packaged: 2019-10-05 13:11:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,156
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17325635
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lotr58/pseuds/lotr58
Summary: Under orders from Starfleet Command, Spock heads up the Enterprise's first book club--with mixed, but surprising, results.





	The Book Club

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much to 1lostone for all your help with formatting. You are the formatting guru!!!
> 
> Enjoy!

 

The Book Club

 

“Am I to understand, Captain, that  _I_  am to lead a ship-wide book club?”

James T. Kirk looked at his First Officer with a somewhat sheepish expression. Taking a deep breath, he mustered his courage and replied.

“Yes, Mr. Spock. You are.”

The Vulcan looked quite perplexed as he pondered this information. Brows knit together in what appeared to be intense concentration, he gazed at his captain thoughtfully.

“Captain…I do not…understand. Why me?”

For once, the Vulcan seemed to be at a loss for words. He stared at his friend with a perplexed expression on his face.

Shaking his head helplessly, Kirk shrugged, obviously trying to formulate a response his Vulcan friend would understand…and accept.

“Spock…it’s out of my hands. The order came direct from Starfleet Headquarters. Admiral Nogura chose you because he’s trying to build unity and camaraderie among the crew. All the crew—humans and Vulcans. He chose you because he’s hoping you’ll be able to bring diverse crew members together.”

Seeing that the Vulcan was staring at him in confusion, Kirk stopped. Running a hand through his hair, the Captain thought the situation through for a moment, then tried a different tack.

“Okay, Spock. That’s the ‘politically correct’ explanation. The real reason is that Nogura’s hoping you’ll get the Vulcans and other non-human crewmembers to participate. He’s hoping you’ll get them involved in something with the humans. He said he’s tired of the Vulcans being so standoffish—his words, not mine.”

“Jim. How exactly is a book club going to remedy that situation?”

With a smirk on his face and a twinkle in his eye, Kirk replied.

“Well, Spock. The book club is mandatory.”

“Mandatory?” the Vulcan echoed quietly?

“Mandatory,” the Captain replied with a nod of his head. “Unfortunately, Spock, you have no choice. Neither does the crew.” Seeing the uncertain expression on his friend’s face, the human continued. “Spock…I did try. I spoke with Nogura and tried to talk him out of this. I even asked him to put someone else in charge, but he refuses to budge. His mind is made up.” Feeling bad for his Vulcan friend and seeing the doubt on the other’s face, Kirk reached out to place a comforting hand on his friend’s arm. “It will be fine, Spock. You’ll see.”

Dark brown eyes locked with hazel ones and held them for a moment. The Science Officer appeared to be considering the situation. Then, still holding the human’s gaze, he asked, “Jim. Precisely what is a ‘book club’?”

**************************************************************

Tapping his fingertips on his desk, James T. Kirk tried to control his nervous energy as he awaited the arrival of his First Officer. Glancing at his chronometer he realized that his buzzer should sound at any moment. The inaugural meeting of the mandatory book club should have let out approximately fifteen minutes before and he’d asked Spock to come to his quarters and report how things went once he was finished.

‘Bzzzz’

‘Right on schedule,’ the Captain thought to himself, a small smile on his face. “Come,” he said.”

The doors swished open to reveal Spock, keypad in hand, face as inscrutable as ever. The Vulcan strode quickly to the Captain’s side, then stopped.

“Captain. I am here to report on today’s book club meeting. Forty-six crewmembers were present. I had, however, anticipated higher attendance for our first gathering. I surmise that they had not finished the required reading and so opted not to come for fear of disappointment at not being able to join the discussion.”

“And did you have a good discussion?” Kirk asked interestedly.

For a moment the Vulcan looked almost perplexed. He quickly recovered, though, and glancing down at his keypad with what almost appeared to be nervousness, he replied.

“Good is a relative term, Captain. The reading was discussed.”

“Well that’s great, Spock. Did they enjoy it? How many participated? Was it an interesting discussion?”

The human watched as his First Officer began to fiddle (did Vulcan’s fiddle?) with the keypad in his hand.

“Spock?”

Raising his eyes to meet those of his Captain, Spock visibly inhaled before responding.

“The discussion was…fascinating…however….it was somewhat one-sided.”

“One-sided? Are you saying everyone didn’t participate?”

Kirk almost didn’t catch the Vulcan’s nearly imperceptible shake of the head.

“What happened, Spock?”

Clearing his throat in a very human manner, Spock replied.

“I believe, Captain, that they were so engrossed in the reading selection that they did not know where to begin in regards to questions.”

Staring at the Vulcan in disbelief, Kirk asked the obvious question.

“What exactly  _was_  the reading selection, Spock?”

“A fascinating choice.  _Surak and the Time of Awakening: The Evolution of Logic in Vulcan Society_. As it is one of my preferred reading choices I assumed it would be well received.”

“You told them to read about logic?”

“Why yes. You instructed me to assign reading material that would be interesting and enjoyable. Captain.”

The human sat silently for a moment, seemingly gathering his thought. Though the Vulcan would never admit it, Kirk heard the slight—almost—challenge in his response. He knew he needed to tread carefully here.

“Um, Spock. You’re right. The reading material needs to be interesting and enjoyable—to the crew. Not just to you.”

Brown eyes met hazel as the Vulcan replied.

“I believed the crew would appreciate learning about Vulcan history. It…”

He never got a chance to finish as Kirk waved his hand and stood.

“Spock. Choose something light. A bestseller from today or a classic from the past. It needs to be something the crew can lose themselves in and identify with. Got it?”

A fleeting look of confusion passed over the Vulcan’s face before he once again conveyed his impassive, inscrutable demeanor.

“Understood, Captain.”

With a quick nod he turned on his heel and exited the Captain’s cabin.

Heaving a frustrated sigh, Kirk sat down once again, trying unsuccessfully to keep the smile from spreading across his face.

 

**********************************************************************

“Mr. Spock, please report to my quarters.”

James T. Kirk was frustrated. Pacing the floor of his cabin, he struggled to find the right words to say to his First Officer. He would never have imagined the superbly capable Vulcan would have so much trouble leading something as simple as a book club. Why…his thoughts were interrupted by the buzzer on his door. Spock.

“Come.”

Turning to face the door, hands behind his back, he stood stiff and straight in what he assumed was a commanding position. The Vulcan approached him silently and stopped several feet away, waiting for the captain to speak.

“Sir. You requested my presence?”

“Yes, Spock. I understand you held the second book club meeting last night.”

“Yes, Captain.”

“And would you say it was a success?”

“Success, Captain?”

“Success, Mr. Spock. Did you have a good turnout? Did people participate?”

Clearing his throat, the Vulcan replied.

“Success is a relative term, Cap….”

“Bullshit, Spock!”

The Vulcan’s eyes widened in surprise.”

“I beg your pardon?”

Kirk looked his friend in the eye.

“I said bullshit, Spock. It is only 1100 hours and I have spent the morning fielding complaints from crewmembers who attended last night’s meeting. Seventeen so far.”

The Vulcan actually looked confused, as if he could not understand what the captain was saying.

“I do not understand. I did as you suggested. The reading selection for this month was a classic bestseller from Earth’s past. It was something I believed would appeal to the crew.”

“ _Fifty Shades of Grey_ , Spock?”

“Yes, Captain. I researched top-selling books of Earth’s past and discovered that this particular novel topped the bestseller lists around the world. I believed it would appeal to all the crew.”

Raising a hand to stop the Vulcan, Kirk looked at him as if he were an alien being. Well, he was, but that wasn’t the kind the human was thinking about. How could such an intelligent being be such a numbskull when it came to certain things?

“Spock….Spock. It’s not that they didn’t enjoy it. Some of them did. The problem is that it’s not the type of book people necessarily want to discuss in a large group.”

The Vulcan actually looked confused.

“I…do not understand. If they enjoyed it why would they not discuss it?”

“Because it’s about sex, Spock. And they were very uncomfortable sitting with their Vulcan superior, listening to him—you—talk about it.”

“Ah…I see. Then I will endeavor  _not_  to choose a book of that sort in the future.”

“No, Spock. Don’t. As I said before, choose something they will enjoy. This is supposed to be entertainment. It can even be something they can use in their personal lives. This is their off-duty time so make it fun.”

Nodding his head slowly, the Vulcan responded.

“I believe I understand now. I will endeavor to rectify the situation with next month’s meeting. Thank you, Jim, for enlightening me.”

“Any time, Spock,” Kirk replied with an affectionate smile.

 

********************************************************************************

“For our next meeting we will be discussing the best-selling book, 

[ _Principles of Astrophysics: Using Gravity and Stellar Physics to Explore the Cosmos_](http://www.amazon.com/Principles-Astrophysics-Gravity-Stellar-Undergraduate/dp/1461492351/ref=sr_1_7?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1401283380&sr=1-7&keywords=quantum+astrophysics).  I am sure you will all gain much knowledge from your reading as well as....great satisfaction from having read such a fascinating tome.  We will reconvene in two weeks.   Dismissed. "

Glancing around the room, Spock took in the blank stares of his fellow crew mates.  Odd, he wasn't seeing the excited anticipation he had expected.  Perhaps they did not want to appear over-emotional in their delight and excitement regarding their next reading venture.  Yes, that must be it.  In fact, he pondered, perhaps they are putting our last reading  _Suppressing Your Emotions in Ten Easy Steps_  to use.  Of course!

Two hours later, the Vulcan was so thoroughly engrossed in his research that he barely registered the fact that someone was buzzing for entry to his quarters.  Odd, he rarely had visitors.  Without raising his head from his viewer, he said, "Come."

The swishing of the doors revealed a tense and taut James T. Kirk.  Moving quickly to the Vulcan's desk, he stood looking at his comrade for a moment, registering the fact that the Vulcan continued to stare at the viewer before him, nimble fingers flying over the keyboard on the desk.  When the Vulcan continued with his activities without acknowledging his visitor, Kirk decided it was time to speak.

"Spock, a word if I may?"

Looking up from his research, Spock swept his eyes over his Captain and took in his perplexed expression, the tightness of his mouth, the fact that his hands were balled into fists at his side.  Interesting.  Was the Captain upset?  Was there a problem with the ship?  He had heard no alerts.

 

"Yes, Captain?”

Kirk inhaled deeply, seemingly trying to gather his thoughts before speaking. 

"Spock, we have a problem."

"A problem, Captain?  Regarding the ship?"

The human shook his head back and forth, visibly attempting to remain calm.

"Mr. Spock...Spock...how did book club go this afternoon?"

Ah, Spock thought.  Was the captain, what was the earth saying, hitting the soil surrounding the tree?  Did he truly wish to discuss book club or was that his introduction to the actual topic of discussion?  Well, he would discover soon enough so now he would just answer the question asked.

"I believe it was a success, Captain," the Vulcan replied hesitantly.

"Is that so?"

Odd, the captain was looking at him very strangely.  Almost as if he did not believe his answer. Did the captain not realize Vulcan’s did not lie?”

"Is there a problem?" Captain.

Taking another deep breath, the human replied.

"Yes, Spock, there is a problem.  In the last two hours I have received twenty-three complaints about not only the choice of reading material being given, but also about the book club itself."

"I...do not understand, Captain..."

 

Continuing as if the Vulcan had not spoken, Kirk ranted, "three crewmembers have asked if they could pull extra duty instead of attending the book club, seven have requested reassignment to another ship, four have said they will be happy to work extra shifts in the sanitation department."  Stopping to take a breath the Captain seemed to notice for the first time the stony expression on his friend's face.  "Spock," he started again, "how hard is it to run a book club?"

The Vulcan seemed taken aback by the human's tirade.  "I...had not realized..."

"Spock, as I told you before, it's supposed to be fun for everyone.  Not work."

"I had thought...I believed..."  the Vulcan trailed off, uncharacteristically at a loss for words.

Taking pity on his friend, Kirk pulled up a chair and sat down next to him. Reaching out, he grasped his friend's tense shoulder and squeezed.

"What can I do to help, Spock?"

Shaking his head slowly, the Vulcan did not reply.

"Spock," the Captain began, "Beyond the fact that this particular 'event' is mandatory, the purpose of a book club in general is to read and enjoy literature and other forms of writing.  That means you have to choose readings that 'everyone' will enjoy--not just you. You might enjoy spending your off-time engrossed in scientific theories, astrophysics, quantum mechanics, and the evolution of Vulcan logic, but most crew members just want to read to escape.  What you're assigning is too much like work for them."

"Then I am at a loss,  Captain.  What would you recommend?"

"Something fun...something interesting...I know, I know, you find astrophysics and the rest fascinating, but that doesn't mean everyone else does.”

Pausing, the Captain took in the confusion on the Vulcan’s face, the almost dejected slump to his shoulders—if a Vulcan could ‘look’ dejected, that is. Taking pity on his friend, he wrapped his arm around the other’s shoulder and squeezed him gently, surprised that Spock allowed it. He was even more surprised when he felt the Vulcan almost imperceptibly move into the embrace, the movement seemingly unconscious on the First Officer’s part. Suddenly self-conscious about the situation, Kirk cleared his throat and stepped back, removing his arm from around Spock’s shoulders.

Glancing up at the suddenly equally uncomfortable-looking Vulcan, he suggested, “why don’t you do some research on current best-sellers? See what people are reading, how certain books are rated. See what people enjoy.”

A brief inclination of the glossy black hair and the First Office was out the door.

“Damn it!” Kirk berated himself. “Why did I do that? It’s not enough that I’m forcing him to lead the book club, but I have to compromise his personal space to boot? What an idiot I am. But…it did feel good…”

 

Later That Night

 

The sound of the buzzer woke him from the light doze into which he’d fallen. Instantly awake, he glanced at the chronometer. It was the middle of the night—who would be wanting to see him, unless it was an emergency?

“Come,” he ordered, standing and smoothing his shirt.

The doors swished open to reveal Spock, who made no effort to enter the room.

“Spock,” Kirk tried to keep the surprise out of his voice. “Is everything alright? Come in, come in.”

Almost hesitantly, the Vulcan stepped into the room, the doors closing quickly behind him.

“Everything is…fine…Captain. Jim.”

“Then what…”

“Jim. I have researched the current trends in reading and wished to discuss them with you.”

Kirk noticed that the Vulcan actually looked very pleased with himself. His timing was a bit off, but hey, at least he was trying.

“Um, okay Spock. What did you find?”

“Well, Captain. I discovered that humans enjoy many types of literature. Mysteries are high on the list, as are stories of adventure.”

The Captain nodded absently, wondering when his friend was going to get to the point. He didn’t have to wait long.

“What intrigued me the most, however, was the seeming infatuation with romances. Love stories.”

Still nodding, Jim wondered where Spock was going with this.

“Yes,” he replied absently. “Most of us do enjoy a good love story.”

Spock did not reply, but simply stood gazing at his friend, making said friend just a tad uncomfortable as he felt those dark eyes, suddenly very bright, take in his still slightly disheveled appearance as they looked him over.

“Um, Spock. Do you have a point to this?”

Taking a deep breath, the Vulcan seemed to hesitate only slightly, before answering.

“Yes, Captain. Jim. I do. I found one book, in particular, to be quite fascinating. It is entitled  _Love in the Stars_  and it has topped the best-seller list for the last thirty-six weeks. I found it to be intriguing because it is so popular while at the same time so poorly written. Grammatical errors throughout.”

James Kirk was becoming more confused by the moment. What was the Vulcan going on about?

“Evidently, Jim, it is not the form of the literature that appeals to the reader. It is the story, itself. This story is about the captain of a starship who finds love with one of his crewmembers. Very illogical. At the same time, however, I am…intrigued.”

Smiling slightly at the thought of his straight-laced Vulcan friend reading such drivel, Kirk just shook his head.

“Spock, you never fail to amaze me.”

Eying his friend thoughtfully for a moment, Spock evidently gathered his courage and decided to continue.

“Jim. I believe this book would appeal to the book group. However…I would prefer to have first-hand knowledge when I lead the discussion.”

“First-hand knowledge?” the Captain nearly croaked, his throat suddenly dry.

“Yes, Jim. First-hand knowledge. For example, when the captain—in the story of course—reached out to pull his lover into his arms, his lover did not object.”

A suddenly wicked smile on his face, Kirk reached out and pulled his friend close, feeling the heat radiating off the other man.

“Like this, Spock?”

“Yes, Captain. I believe that is how it was done.”

“Spock,” Kirk asked as he began to nuzzle the smooth flesh of the Vulcan’s neck. “Did the captain by any chance do this?”

“Actually, Captain, he did.”

“And,” trailing kisses up the Vulcan’s neck to his cheek and finally his lips, the human continued, “did he do this?”

“Yes, Jim, he did.”

“Spock, I propose that we look at this book and educate you so that you are completely prepared to lead the next book group.”

Bringing his own arms up to encircle his friend, the Vulcan replied, “I agree, Jim. I do, after all, need to be prepared. It would help if I understood first-hand what I am discussing with the crew. Thank-you for obliging me.”

“Anything for the book club, Spock. Anything for the book club!”

“Yes, Jim. And Jim…thank you for allowing me to lead the group. It has, in the end, been most…enlightening!”

 

 

 


End file.
